Opinion: Hydro expands development legacy

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Reliable and cost-effective electricity has been a hallmark of B.C.’s economy since the 1960s, when hydroelectric power was first harnessed from the Peace and Columbia rivers.

Today, the W.A.C. Bennett and Peace Canyon dams on the Peace River in northeastern B.C. provide more than 30 per cent of the province’s electricity needs. And since these two facilities were paid for years ago, they generate very inexpensive power for our province, as they will continue to do in the year 2035 and beyond.

This multi-generational benefit is a key legacy of hydroelectric development in B.C. After a significant upfront capital cost, large hydro projects like the Bennett and Peace Canyon dams have low operating costs and a very long life of more than 100 years. In fact, with reinvestment over the long term, the operating life of these facilities can be indefinite.

While previous investments in hydroelectric power have served us well, there are challenges ahead. The demand for electricity in B.C. is forecast to increase by about 50 per cent in the next 20 years. This increase in demand is being driven by a projected population increase of more than one million people and economic expansion, particularly in the resource sector.

As extensive as BC Hydro’s electricity supply is, it will not be enough to meet B.C.’s future needs if demand continues to grow as projected.

To meet growing electricity needs, BC Hydro’s first choice is conservation. In addition, we are upgrading our facilities, building new transmission and distribution infrastructure, purchasing new supplies of clean energy (such as wind, run-of-river hydro, bioenergy), and proposing the Site C Clean Energy Project (Site C).

The project would build on our province’s hydroelectric legacy. As the third project on the Peace River, all the water passing through the W.A.C. Bennett and Peace Canyon dams would also pass through Site C. By taking advantage of water already stored upstream in the Williston Reservoir, Site C would generate about 35 per cent of the energy produced at the Bennett Dam with only five per cent of the reservoir area.

Site C would provide up to 1,100 megawatts of capacity, and produce an average of 5,100 gigawatt hours of electricity each year. To put this in perspective, that would be enough energy to power the equivalent of about 450,000 homes per year in B.C., although, with our integrated electricity system, all BC Hydro customers — residential, commercial and industrial — would benefit from the electricity generated by Site C.

The project offers many other long-term benefits for BC Hydro customers. For example, the project would be among the most cost-effective resource options to help meet B.C.’s future electricity needs. Site C would have an estimated capital cost of $7.9 billion, and it would produce electricity at a cost between $87 and $95 per megawatt hour, which is cheaper than other clean energy alternatives.

In addition, Site C would produce among the lowest levels of greenhouse gas emissions per gigawatt hour compared with other electricity generation options. The project would also provide significant additional benefits, including reliable capacity and flexibility.

This would help with the development of additional intermittent renewable resources, such as wind. Since wind turbines do not produce electricity when the wind is not blowing, they need to be backed up with reliable capacity. An advantage of a large hydro project such as Site C is that it would be able to increase or decrease generation to match the availability of intermittent resources.

The Site C project is now in the early stages of a cooperative federal-provincial environmental assessment process, which will include an independent joint review panel. This process is thorough and is expected to take a total of about three years to complete. It will include multiple opportunities for timely and meaningful participation by the public, aboriginal groups, governments and other interested stakeholders.

As part of the environmental assessment process, BC Hydro is identifying and assessing potential project effects — environmental, economic, social, heritage and health — and options to avoid or mitigate any adverse impacts of the project. In addition, BC Hydro is identifying opportunities to provide lasting benefits for the region.

Site C would contribute to the local and provincial economy through construction-related jobs and business opportunities. If approved, Site C would create approximately 7,000 person-years of direct construction employment through the seven-year construction period.

The project is estimated to create up to 35,000 direct and indirect jobs through all stages of development and construction.

Like the Bennett and Peace Canyon dams before it, Site C would be a publicly owned asset, providing clean, reliable and cost-effective electricity for generations of British Columbians.

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Opinion: Hydro expands development legacy

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